Heating and cooling a home is one of the largest energy expenditures in most households throughout the U.S., frequently accounting for over half of energy bills. Often times, thermostats are not located in the ideal position within a home, leaving major temperature variances between rooms. Some other obstacles that may lead to inefficiency of home cooling or heating systems include different room sizes, various distances between each room and the central air system, sunlight exposure to a room, and population of a room.
Within a household, the rooms that are farthest from the central air system may receive little air flow when compared to other rooms. For example, the farthest room from the central air system may be warmer in summer and colder in winter than the rest of the household due to reduced airflow.
Therefore, systems and methods for improving operation of AC or heating systems would be useful, e.g., to power one or more sensors and/or actuators, and/or to strategically channel air flow delivery toward rooms or zones in need.